Strikeout for the first time in five consecutive at-bats as a professional? 'Monster hitter' set a new record for strikeout by Murakami, but the team has continued to fall for eight consecutive losses

Jul 14, 2024

Murakami, who struck out five consecutive at-bats against Hiroshima on the 13th, recorded the most strikeouts in one game since joining the team in 2018. If you go at the current pace, you will rewrite the record of most strikeouts in a season in the Central League. Photo capture = Yakult Swallows SNS

Murakami has struck out 13 in his last six games. He is the only player in both leagues to have more than 100 strikeouts. Photo capture = Yakult Swallows SNS

Samjin follows the home run hitter like a shadow. The price of a home run accompanied by power, you'll have to bear it. However, if it is a strikeout that overwhelms the outcome, it is a different story.

Murakami Munetaka (24), who is called the "monster hitter". He struck out five against the Hiroshima Carp on the 13th. This is his record for most strikeouts in a game. Yakult, whose fourth batter struck out five consecutive at-bats, fell to the floor after losing eight consecutive games. The gap between the fifth-place Chunichi Dragons and the fifth-place Chunichi Dragons widened to five games.

The away match against Hiroshima was held at the Mazda Stadium in Hiroshima on the 13th.

First base with two outs in the top of the first inning. Murakami, who played as a fourth-third baseman, was lethargic from his first at-bat. On the full count, Hiroshima right-hander Daichi Osehra hit a 145km/h fastball on a low course outside. Murakami's bat didn't respond. A rookie strikeout.

With two outs and a runner on second base in the top of the third inning, a single shot could have brought the initial flow. This time, he wasted his chance in vain. Oh Se-ra's eighth pitch from the full count swung and missed by a high ball. He was hit by a 137km/h cut fastball. In the top of the sixth inning, he struck out swinging again with one out and a runner on the first base. This time, she was beaten by Osera's low-course forkball of 140 kilometers per hour.

In his fourth at-bat in the top of the ninth inning, he swung and missed on a 150km/h fastball thrown by right-hander Ryoji Guribayashi.

The game went from 0-0 to extra time. The fifth at-bat in the top of the 11th inning of extra time. It ended with another strikeout with two outs and a runner on first base. Takumi Kurohara, the opponent's left-hander, struck out swinging on a 149km/h fastball into the middle of the strike zone.

It is the first time that he joined Yakult as a rookie in 2018 and struck out five in a game. 5 at-bats for 5 hits and 5 strikeouts. Four at-bats had runners.

Yakurt lost 0-1 to Hiroshima on the 13th after a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th inning. He has lost eight consecutive games, the most this season. The difference between fifth-place Chunichi and fifth-place Chunichi widened to five games. He is overwhelmingly last in the Central League. Photo capture = Yakult Swallows SNS

There are a lot of strikeouts.

There are 13 in the last six games. He recorded a total of 111 strikeouts until the game, which is an expected pace of up to 193. If you go like this, you will rewrite the Central League record, exceeding 184 in 2019. He had 128 in 2022 and 168 last year, when he was the youngest three-time batting champion.

Prior to the opening, he announced that he would return to the three-time batting champion for the first time in two years, which seems impossible at this point. He played in 82 games until the 13th and recorded a batting average of 233-67 hits, 15 home runs, 39 RBIs, and OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of 0.784.

While maintaining the lead in home runs, he came in second behind Kazuma Okamoto, the fourth batter of the Yomiuri Giants. The RBI ranks fourth after Okamoto (52) and teammates Domingo Santana and Jose Osuna (42). The gap with Okamoto widened to 13.

Okamoto, who beat Murakami last year to become the home run king, has been active recently. He hit three home runs in the last five games. He has hit the winning shot in four of the last five games. He rose to No. 1 in home runs and RBIs in five games. The Yomiuri Giants won seven consecutive games to bring down Hiroshima and climb to the top of the league.

Yomiuri No. 4 hitter Okamoto recently hit hard and rose to No. 1 in home run-run average. He has hit three home runs and 11 RBIs in the last five games. He hit the final shot in four of the five games. Photo capture =Miuri Giants SNS

Yakult lost to Hiroshima on the 13th with a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th inning. He has lost eight consecutive games since the game against the Yokohama BayStars on the 4th. He only had one win (nine losses) in 10 games held in July. He lost all seven games in away games in Hiroshima this season.

huelva@sportschosun.com